The Chicago Sky continues to struggle as the team dropped to 7-21 on the season after an August 3 loss against the Phoenix Mercury.
Chicago is on an eight-game losing streak, but they will receive one of their veteran players back from injury.
Sky head coach Tyler Marsh announced that Ariel Atkins would return to the lineup on August 5, per Chicago State of Mind Sports.
Injuries in Chicago
This season, the Sky have been plagued by the injury bug. On June 7, Courtney Vandersloot tore her ACL and was ruled out for the rest of the season.
Hailey Van Lith, who is a game- time decision for the August 5 matchup against the Washington Mystics, has missed six games this season due to injury.
Second-year star Angel Reese has expanded her game and is on track to finish the season with new career highs. Unfortunately, she has only played 23 games this season due to injury.
Karli Bell of Marquee Sports Network reported that Reese will not play against Washington due to her back injury.
Depth Concerns
Atkins, who missed the last seven games, will help provide this team with some energy. Needless to say, the team will struggle without Vandersloot and Reese in the lineup.
Chicago’s lack of depth has hampered this team from taking a step in the right direction. The franchise is 12th in league standings and is 2-8 in its last ten games.
Currently, the Sky are tied for first in rebounds per game (36.3) with the Golden State Valkyries. Yet, the team struggles to take care of the ball, turning it over 17 times per game, which is last in the league.
Reese (14.2), Atkins (13.9), Kamilla Cardoso (12.5 points), and Vandersloot (10.6) are the top four scorers on the roster. With most of Chicago’s offensive firepower in and out of the rotation, the team is on pace to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season.
Windy City
The August 7 trade deadline is rapidly approaching, but the Sky’s current roster does not consist of movable or sought after assets. Recently, the Dallas Wings traded lockdown guard Dijonai Carrington to the Minnesota Lynx.
Carrington took to Instagram after the trade with an enigmatic message. Shortly after, Reese expressed her excitement for the 2024 most improved player by commenting on the initial post, “happy for you.”
Although Reese expressed her excitement for Carrington, the comment could be left for interpretation. Chicago’s season could have looked different if they retained the No. 3 pick overall.
The Sky traded away the No.3 overall pick to the Mystics in the Atkins trade. Washington went on to draft Sonia Citron, who made the All-Star game in her rookie season.
Last season, Chicago missed the playoffs after losing Reese to injury, which resulted in the team imploding. During the offseason, they moved on from Chennedy Carter, who led the team in points and provided the team with back-court depth.
Marina Mabrey was traded during the season and was second in points per game for the team.
Chicago will have a chance to break its eight-game losing streak against Washington at home.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Chicago Sky Veteran Set to Return as Sky Look to Snap Losing Streak appeared first on Heavy Sports.